5 Weeks later

I have been a vegan for the last 5 weeks and I loved it! It was hard at first to completely overhaul my eating habits but it was so worth it.  Michael and I weren't ever unhealthy but after really looking at what I was cooking I realized all the room for improvement.  I lost 4 pounds, and even more importantly I feel so much better!  I don't overeat, my stomach doesn't ever get a sick feeling after a big meal, I am fuller longer and overall my body is working better than it ever has before.  I would recommend this to anyone that is even a little curious about the benefits.
Tomorrow Michael and I board a plane headed for Utah.  My mom and Dad will come pick us up and we will spend the next two relaxing weeks in "the mother land" as Michael likes to call it (mormon joke).  Because we  will be on vacation and also because I could only mentally handle 5 weeks of a crazy new lifestyle, I will not be a practicing vegan for our trip.  I will still be vegetarian because, well lets be honest, meat is kinda gross now that I haven't eaten it for so long.  And when we get back from Utah I will pick up being vegan again.
Full disclousure,  I did cheat a little over the last 5 weeks.  I had a bit of ice cream, and some cheese a couple times but I think that is the way to keep something going.  I will be what is called "mostly vegan" for the foreseeable future.  That means I will still have a little bit of dairy but not very often and not very much.

People always ask the same questions when they find out I have been vegan.  They always ask "how are you getting enough calcium, and how are you getting enough protein?"  Its actually easy to get protein and calcium from plant based sources.  The Soymilk that I drink has 50% more calcium than regular milk and protein can be found everywhere!  Its not about the quantity of protein you have in your diet, its about the quantity.  I get all the protein I need from sprouted bread, quinoa, tofu, and nuts to name a few sources.  These are proteins that are extremely low in calories and also are high in quality.  A vegan lifestyle is not unhealthy be any stretch of the imagination.  I realize it isn't for everyone but for me it is and I plan to continue with it for a very long time!